It had been years (and maybe even decades) since I had last seen a toad and somehow I had forgotten that they have lots of warts and bumps, unlike the smooth-skinned frogs that I am used to seeing.
I encountered this brown toad, which I think is an Eastern American Toad (Anaxyrus americanus americanus), at a garden in Maryland. According to Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources, there are only two types of true toads in the state, so my changes of being correct are pretty good. The other toad is a Fowler’s Toad.
Apparently, you can distinguish between the two types by the number of warts per dark spot on their backs. Maybe you can tell them apart—I wouldn’t even know where to start counting.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved
Mike Powell 
Very crisp shot!
He almost seems to have his chin up for a dignified aristocratic portrait… he looks like a puffy duke or the well-fed earl of muckity muck lane…
I anthropomorphize far too seriously…
I think that tilting the chin up helps to remove some of the wrinkles. It’s so much fun to anthropomorphize and impute human motives to our non-human subjects. In this case the toad was in direct sunlight–softer might might have been a bit more flattering.
Such a great shot, Mike!! So crisp and clear!!
I was close enough to the toad to mostly fill the frame with my 180mm macro lens. The lens is pretty new to me, but I have been really impressed with its sharpness so far, even for non-macro shots like this.
Now that you say that, I can’t remember the last time I saw a toad. I loved the photo, but it does spur my curiosity. I am off to the internet to research toads.
I saw some tiny little toads in the woods last week. They must have been babies.
Nice portrait! I think Fowlers Toad has really small dark patches on its skin, hence less warts per dark spot. I agree with you on calling this one an American Toad.
That’s a fine looking toad.
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